Hi there!

Okay, I have a lot to say and a short time to say it. :) Please ignore typoes.

Kinda matching outfits (colors anyway)
not on purpose

This week has been so good again! Every week and day here!!! Every one is great! This week I learned a lot. Especially about trusting Heavenly Father. We got a new investigator who is Christian. And basically after our second lesson he said we can only come back if we only talk about the bible, not the book of mormon. Fail. I was so discouraged! I had NO ideas whatsoever where to go from there. I just prayed so much to Heavenly Father to help sister Hartley and I know what to teach him. We prepared a lesson on like prophets or something, a lesson neither of us were thrilled about. But we went in there to teach him, and I just had the thought to ask him what he believes about the Atonement before we start teaching. Basically, he has heard about it but didn't really understand it. He hasn't used it to help him ever. SO, we just taught a whole lesson on the fly about the atonement, and it was incredible! the spirit was so strong. And we used scriptures from the Book of Mormon, Particularly Alma 36. He was so interested and basically said he wants that NOW. So we kinda taught him how, etc. Basically I was so humbled and grateful that even though I didn't know what pruen needed, Heavenly Father did, and he was willing to use me just in the process! It was so neat. And now Pruen is set up to be baptized!! He basically like begged us to be... it was the funniest thing ever cause sister Hearts and I were like... uh yeah! Um of course! uh... uh... uh.... It was great! Heavenly Father just knows so much! I just am trying to remember often that this is HIS work, with HIS timing, done HIS way. And as long as I'm doing all I can, He'll take care of everything else!

Spot the difference...

So the language is coming really well! Do you remember, and I'm sure you still feel this way, when all the letters in the Book of Mormon look the same? Well in fact, they don't!!! They don't look anything alike! that's not true, they all look very alike. But seriously, they each are all so distinct in my brain. What a miracle!! So yes, I love the language! And I am starting to be able to read each verse in about a few minutes! wow! Seriously though, this language is so fun. The reading and writing is a challenge, but speaking it is a cake-walk compared to spanish because they don't conjugate and their past and future tenses are like... simple. If translated, it would sound like cavemen. Basically every day I find something new that I love about this language. And because many words are made up of smaller words, they all have so much meaning! It is so cool! I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has helped me so much to be able to learn this. And I am so excited and grateful for how much i'll realized I don't know in a week. I think I will be like laughing all the time because of how much I don't know. It is going to be the funniest thing ever!

Travel plans!

So yes, I got my travel plans!!!! I leave Tuesday may 21st, at 7:50 pm from SLC airport. I then have a 3 hour layover in Los Angeles. I then fly straight to Hong Kong and have a 3 hour lay-over there! I'll be in the same place as Stockton. THE SAME PLACE!?! Crazy, huh! And then another short little flight to Cambodia. And then it begins!! I am so excited. I also am grateful that I love airplanes, cause this will be a long one.

So, as the music coordinator, I coordinated a musical number this past week in Sacrament. It was really neat! There was one Thai missionary, one Cambodian, One Hmong, and one Vietnamese, and they each sang a verse of I need thee every hour in their language and then did the chorus in english. It was so cool! Those are all the languages at my zone here. Also Laotian is one, but no one is here for that right now. It turned out really well!

So yeah, me playing the flute here. It is a long story that goes something like this. I asked several accompaniasts. And they couldn't play it. I found one, he is a piano majoring, seems promising. He didn't show up to first practice, he showed up to 2nd. It will definitely work. He doesn't show up to 3rd practice... he doesn't show up to 4th practice which has been set up 3 hours earlier. It's really awkward... After a SUPER awkward encounter with him, I retrieved my piano music back and returned it to the music library, doomed to not play the flute. And now I see him all the time and he says Hi to me as if we are the best childhood friends... hahha!!! It is the awkwardest funniest thing ever! I seriously can't tell you how much it spices up my day to see him around and see him think that he didn't do anything wrong whatsoever... silly guy. So yeah, i'll be sending my flute back.

The word for blue and green in Khmae are the exact same word. The exact same. No distinction. How is that even okay?

I suggest each of you take a minute to read 1 Nephi 11 and just feel how much Heavenly Father loves and Christ loves each of us. We read that as a class this week and I swear I was like on the verge of tears.

Service. The best thing ever.
We use power sprayers to clean the showers.
Best. Thing. Ever.

Also, you know the 10 virgins lamps analogy thing? Well, my branch presidents wife talked about it on Sunday, and she mentioned the size of those lamps. She had bought one in Jerusalem and she measured how much oil it would hold. Only 1 tablespoon. She made the analogy that you would need to be regularly refilling your lamp for it to be continually light. That is JUST like the gospel. We have to regularly pour the gospel into our lives, other wise that tablespoon is going to run out real quick. Genuis!

I watched another devotional by Jeffery R. Holland, and I've decided I'm his number 1 fan. Obviously excluding relations or anyone who actually knows him, I am his number one fan. Every time after he speaks, I am inspired to be a better missionary. He is brilliant!!

Also Russel M. Nelson came yesterday and spoke to us! It was incredible!! He spoke a lot about how missionary work is on both sides of the veil. It was just great.

Turns out, I have been saying the work "yes" incorrectly, as has pretty much all the other sisters, for the past 8 WEEKS I HAVE BEEN HERE?!?!?! Our teachers didn't think that was important?? Hahhahaahaha what? It's a minor difference, but kinda like I big deal. I guess we've been saying the word "fried" instead of "yes" this whole time. That is hilarious!

So I've been thinking, what was my purpose in life before I was a missionary? Did I do anything worthwhile? I think I only was doing things for myself... POINTLESS!! Wow, i'm always going to be a missionary.

Classic Map

So yeah, a week left! CRAZY!! I am excited and kinda scared and nervous and sad to leave the mtc, but so excited! I'm not sure what I'll miss most. Probably my teachers. Or maybe the devotionals. Or maybe EVERYTHING. I love the MTC!! I can't wait to get to Cambodia though. I can't believe that I thought I ever didn't want to go here. Everything I ever hear about it makes me so excited. The people sound INCREDIBLE! I love them so much already. Next time I email, i'm sure I'll BE THERE and I'll be able to give you all the detes.

I love you all! I'll talk to most/some of you when I'm at the airport.

Love,

Sister Homer